Chapter Two: A Comedy in Two Acts

by Neil Simon

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Comedy and pathos mingle brilliantly in Neil Simon's portrait of a widowed New York novelist who fears he'll never love again and has no interest in dating. Neither does smart, attractive Jennie Malone, who has just returned from getting a Mexican divorce. A grudging five-minute meeting between them blossoms into a passionate, witty romance-until they decide to marry. An L.A. Theatre Works full-cast performance featuring David Dukes, Sharon Gless, Gates McFadden and Grant Shaud.

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4 reviews
Some witty dialog but drastically poor work on the characters that go from an act one of too good to be true, to act two of too stupid to live, but all's well that ends well. I'm beginning to think that witty New Yorkers don't intrinsically interest me more than wealthy/upper class Brits. One has the zingers, the other the wardrobe, but I don't want to spend hours with either any more. In the copy I picked up from the library every God, Jesus, Christ & Goddamn were heavily crossed out in ballpoint, dimpling the pages.
This was a GREAT play! I was amazed by the dialogue, the characters, the careful social cues, and the ending- which was completely magnificent and surprising in its own right. This was a tour-de-force for Simon and I intend on reading more plays by this fine playwright.

5 stars- fully deserved!
SHARON GLESS WAS REALLY GOOD AND THE ACTING WAS EXCELLENT SO I LIKED THIS BETTER THAN EXPECTED. WHY DID WE USED TO THINK NEIL SIMON WAS FUNNY? THE ODD COUPLE STANDS UP BUT SOME OTHERS!!!!!!

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113+ Works 5,906 Members
Marvin Neil Simon was born in the Bronx, New York on July 4, 1927. He attended New York University as an enlistee in the Army Air Forces Air Reserve training program. He continued his studies at the University of Denver while assigned to a base nearby. After his discharge from the Air Force, he worked as a clerk in publicity at Warner Bros. in New show more York with his brother Danny. Together they began writing television and radio scripts for comics. They also wrote weekly revues for Camp Tamiment, the summer resort in the Poconos. Simon went on to become a playwright. His first play, Come Blow Your Horn, was written in 1961. His other plays included Barefoot in the Park, The Odd Couple, Plaza Suite, The Prisoner of Second Avenue, The Sunshine Boys, Brighton Beach Memoirs, Biloxi Blues, Broadway Bound, and The Dinner Party. In 1991, he won a Tony Award and the Pulitzer Prize for Lost in Yonkers. He adapted several of his plays for film. He also wrote original movies including The Out-of-Towners, The Goodbye Girl, and The Heartbreak Kid. He wrote the book for several Broadway musicals including Little Me; Sweet Charity; Promises, Promises; and They're Playing Our Song. He wrote a two-volume autobiography. He died from complications of pneumonia on August 26, 2018 at the age of 91. (Bowker Author Biography) show less

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Common Knowledge

Original publication date
1977
Related movies
Chapter Two (1979 | IMDb)

Classifications

Genres
Fiction and Literature, Romance
DDC/MDS
812.5Literature & rhetoricAmerican literature in EnglishAmerican drama in English20th Century
LCC
PS3537 .I663 .C48Language and LiteratureAmerican literatureAmerican literatureIndividual authors1900-1960
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117
Popularity
278,173
Reviews
4
Rating
(3.79)
Languages
English
Media
Paper, Audiobook
ISBNs
7
ASINs
1